2018 The LSU Game

It's LSU time again.  The thing on my mind this week is that this is a series where strange things tend to happen in this game.  There is the three interception game in 1994.  The fire game in 1996 always come to mind.  The 2016 game where LSUS scored on the last play of the game but the snap came came after time had expired.  Auburn blew a 20 point lead last year in Baton Rouge.  But this game will be in the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare.  Auburn is favored by 10 and is ranked #7.  Will something unusual happen this year?  The game is a 2:30 kickoff on CBS.

FIRST QUARTER

LSU wins the toss and defers.  Both teams would have deferred desiring their defense on the field first.
Shaun Shivers is the starting running back but for only the first play and a short gain.
Second play and LSU intercepts.  Poor read by Stidham.  Very poor.

LSU starts at the AU 34.
First down to the 22.
First down to the 8.
LSU is completing short passes.
Their QB runs to the one.
Third and goal at the one.
Touchdown LSU.
Good start by LSU.
Two third conversions with a 34 yard drive in 9 plays.
LSU takes advantage of an early mistake by Stidham.

Auburn 0  LSU 7

What now?  I was thinking before this game that our offense would go as far as Stidham could take us.  I thought we might have held them to a FG but instead it's 7 to 0.

Auburn goes three and with three straight drops.  Our offense is not yet in this game.
LSU takes the punt at their 31.  I don't understand what I am seeing.

First play completion to the Auburn 38 to a wide-open receiver.
A chop block pushes LSU back to the 46.
Third and 18 from the AU 46.
Pass incomplete fourth down.
The punt goes into the end zone but a penalty pushes our start back to the 10.

First play 20 yard completion and extra 15 yards after a face guard.
First down to the AU 40.
A long completion to Schwartz.
First down to the 24.
Fourth and short just short of the 14.
Whitlow is tackled short of the line of scrimmage on fourth down.  LSU blows up the play.
Our center position is pushed back.
Another offensive failure.  LSU ball after a deadball major penalty against them.

LSU starts from their 8 yard line.
LSU starts a drive.  Auburn is playing sloppy on defense now.
LSU crosses our 40 for another first down.
LSU is 5 for 6 on third down conversions.
There is a face guard penalty on Auburn.
Mistake after mistake.
LSU misses a 53 yard field goal attempt.
A stop there so to speak but our defense has been on the field for most of the quarter.

The quarter ends with AU picking up a first down around our 45.

Auburn 0  LSU 7

SECOND QUARTER

LSU dominated the first quarter.  Lucky we are only down by 7.
After that one first down Auburn is punting.
Our offense cannot stay on the field.
The punt is fair caught at the LSU 11.
We desperately need a three and out by the defense because our offense is sleep-walking.

First down to the 22.
First down to the AU 45 on a completion.
First down LSU to the 33.
LSU is taking it to Auburn.  They came in ready to play.
A bad pass interference call puts LSU on our 18.
From the 18 we move to a third an 5. LSU is 6 of 8 so far in third down.
We move to fourth and two.
False start as LSU lined up to go for it.
The FG attempt is good.

Auburn 0  LSU 10

LSU came out ready to play.  Auburn did not come out ready to play.  Nothing has changed so far.

Unless our offense decides to show up, the pattern of this game is set.
First down completion to Slayton to the AU 39.
Completion to Seth Williams to the LSU 43.
Davis is wide open but Stidham overthrows him at the three.
First down to the LSU 30.
First down to the 19.
Pass interference moves the ball to the 6.
Whitlow powers in from the 6.  Auburn is on the board.
We needed that drive.  The offense looked good on that drive mixing the pass and the run.

Auburn 7  LSU 10

Our defense stands up.  LSU is three and out.
Auburn fields the punt at the AU 34.

First down pass to Seth Williams plus 15 for ruffing the passer.
The play is reviewed as the catch was close on the sideline.
The pass completion is negated on review but the penalty moves the ball to the LSU 49.
First down completion to Seth Williams to the LSU 33.
Shaun Shivers sweeps to the LSU 12 but a replay shows he was OOB at the 20.
First down Auburn at the LSU 20.
Whitlow to the 12.
Whitlow fights for one when it should have been a loss.
A completion to Chandler Cox to the 8.
From the 8 Shaun Shivers runs almost untouched to the end zone!!!
The electricity is back in Jordan-Hare.

Auburn 14  LSU 10

From the 25 LSU is three and out, punting with 42 seconds left.
Auburn pressures the punter but it's a good punt and Auburn starts on their 15.
Auburn takes a knee.
LSU took it to us to start the game but the Tigers responded at the end of the second quarter.

Auburn 14  LSU 10

THIRD QUARTER

LSU gets the ball first.
First play first down pass to the 37.
There's another first down pass.  Quick passing two first quick first downs.
LSU moves to a third down at the AU 45.
Third and four.
Pass incomplete.  Fourth down.
LSU fakes the punt on a jump pass INCOMPLETE!
Auburn gets the ball with good field position.

Will our defense continue its second quarter momentum?  Probably not.  These two teams seem evenly matched and it will probably settle down to a nail-biter at the end.

From their 41 Auburn goes to work.
Auburn to the LSU 40.
Second and 7 at the LSU 37.
There is a wheel route to Asa Martin who rambles to the five.
Stidham runs it in from there, but the play is reviewed and Stidham is ruled down a foot out.
Whitlow is dropped at the four.  A shotgun team can struggle to make a foot.
We drop to third and goal from the four.  Inches matter.  Stidham just short at the goal line and now we are third down from the four.
What will Auburn do with third and goal from the four?  This is huge.
Coming out of a time out
Stidham rolls right and hits a wide-open Slayton!
So far the offense has continued its momentum from the second quarter.

Auburn 21  LSU 10

From the 25 LSU is three and out.
Ryan Davis returns the punt to the AU 30.

First down incompletion.
Auburn goes three and out.  We can still move the ball though.  Seth Williams was wide-open but one of their players knocked the pass down.
The punt goes OOB at the LSU 33.
Too bad on that possession because our offense had it going.
Now LSU will probably score and we'll have our nail-biter.

LSU crosses midfield.  A facemask penalty helps their cause.
LSU runs to the AU 20.
We move to third down at the 15.
Auburn flagged for pass interference as their QB was throwing the ball away.  A horrible call!
First down LSU at the 9.
Third and goal at the 9.
The fourth down pass is batted away.
The FG is good.

Auburn 21  LSU 13

Whitlow returns the KO to the Auburn 39.
AU moves quickly to the LSU 47.
On third and 6 Stidham throws the interception.  That's his second of the game.
LSU starts on their 47.

LSU moves to a third and eight at midfield.
Their QB Burrow is flushed out of the pocket but comes up short of the first down.
LSU is punting.  AU will start at their 10 with five seconds to go in the quarter.

First play a short pass to the 17.  We head to the fourth quarter.  This game will not be over until it's over.

Auburn 21  LSU 13

FOURTH QUARTER

Whitlow explodes to the AU 37.
Another pass completion of nine and a targeting call on LSU.
LSU #26 exits the field.
Auburn is at the LSU 40.
We move to third and 13 after an incompletion and Whitlow is tackled in the backfield.
Stidham scrambles but we are left with a 52 yard field goal attempt which is no good.
LSU will start at their 35.
With Anders Carlson it was worth the try.

LSU moves to a third and three at the 42.
Burrow is stopped short at the 43.
LSU punts OOB at the Auburn nine.

Whitlow for a short gain.
We need to move this ball for field possession if nothing else.
There's a first down to the 19.
Auburn moves to a third and 10.
An obvious pass interference call is not made against Slayton, who was pushed in the back but no call.

LSU starts on their 29 after the punt.
First play a 71 yard TD pass.  Auburn defenders were around but the receiver caught the ball.
Wow, oh wow.  The last thing we needed.  The pass was JUST over Davis but the catch was made.
LSU will go for two of course.  The pass attempt in the back of the end zone is incomplete.  At least we retain the lead.

Auburn 21  LSU 19

Oh, my!  Here we go again as I predicted.  This one will go to the wire.

First play from the 25 Auburn is called for holding.
A draw play for nine but still second and 11.
We move to third and five with the clock under 7 minutes.
Auburn cannot covert and we are punting from the 30.
Our offense is forcing our defense to make a stand.
LSU will start at their 23.
Advantage LSU.  They only need a FG and they have a good place kicker.

A one yard loss on first down for LSU.
Second down incompletion.
Third and 11 from the 23.
The officials call pass interference: ridiculous!  LSU has a first down on a bogus penalty.
We move to third and 7.
Gut check time.
First down completion to the LSU 49.
First down incompletion.
Third down and four.
We drop their QB at midfield and it's fourth down and the game so far.
Pass completion to the 39 for the first down.
LSU is almost in field goal range and Auburn has only one timeout.
LSU can use the clock setting up the field goal attempt.
ANOTHER pass interference call on Auburn.  Our announcers are incredulous!
We are getting robbed in broad daylight.
We have seen THREE dubious interference calls on Auburn that have determined the outcome of this game.
It comes down to an LSU FG attempt to determine the outcome this game.
A 42 yard effort.
It's good.
It's difficult to accept given the officiating.  We got robbed by bad officiating.  Bogus, bad interference calls.  The refs determined the outcome of this game.  There is almost always something about this game, and it happened again this year.

FINAL SCORE

AUBURN 21  LSU 22